Dental patients often complain about foul odors associated with certain procedures. The source of the odor is generally acknowledged to be bacterial decay within the mouth due to high temperatures generated by the drilling of teeth. The present invention reduces or completely masks the unpleasant odors in a convenient and aggressive manner.
Nose clips are known, but they are generally used to hold the nostrils closed, as in swimming or surgical procedures, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,360 of Zloczysti, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,508 of Lake.
To reduce malodorous mouth odors, various formulations in the form of tablets, liquids, or other medicants are applied to the mucosol cavities of the user's mouth, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,648 of Witzel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,912 of Rudy, or U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,415 of Suzuki. But these cannot be applied during dental procedures, except by intermittent spraying or ingesting into the patient's mouth.
However, odor reducing filter masks are known, but these generally cover the whole face or the whole nose, 4s in U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,629 of Patterson for a filter mask
Other odor reducing filter masks which cover the face or the nostrils of the nose include U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,773 of Bertrand and U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,798 of McKinney for filter masks that cover and mask the outer nostril end of the nose. Masks which cover the whole nose include U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,708 of Vanuch and U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,105 of White.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,628 of Barnum discloses a mask to counteract odors that includes a cloth substrate covering the nose and mouth of the user, wherein the cloth substrate is held over the face by ear pieces which tie around the ears.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,013 of Brannon describes a mask with a scenting means. However, the mask of Brannon '013 covers at least the whole nose of the user.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,167 of Wilson et al. discloses a face shield covering the whole face of a user, wherein the user holds the face shield by gripping a mouthpiece between the user's teeth.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,831 of Aguilar and U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,205 of Wang describe nasal air filters and medicament dispenser devices, wherein two medication dispensing tubes are provided, one for insertion into each nostril. The problem with Aguilar '831 and Wang '205 is that the cylindrical outer surfaces of each tube completely block each nostril, thus increasing discomfort and preventing normal breathing through the nostrils.
However, these face coverings or nose covering masks are bulky and interfere with normal breathing during dental procedures.